Chicken is such a versatile ingredient. You can do almost anything with it - sauté, bake, fry, roast - and almost any seasonings you can conjure up, will not disappoint you! So, in this recipe I went Southwestern, incorporating regional spices and turning chicken into a flavorful blast!

My family adore Mexican and Southwestern food and recently they asked me to make something Mexican that involved chicken and potatoes. So, I came up with this recipe after a few attempts, to balance the flavors. I have to say that my girls couldn't keep their hands off of it - and they are only 11 years old.

My Chili Chicken Bites with Potatoes and Onions recipe was a hit in my house. Try it and see if it's a hit in yours. Enjoy!

Ingredients

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tbsp. + 1 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. Chili powder
1 tbsp. granulated garlic
1 tbsp. onion powder
2 tsp. Smoked paprika
1 tsp. dried cilantro
2 tsp. Kosher salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 cup olive oil, divided + 2 tbsp.
1 medium russet/Idaho potato, peeled and diced small
1 small Spanish onion, halved and sliced into 1/2" strips
1 cup of fresh culantro/cilantro, roughly chopped

Method

1. First, trim the chicken breast of any fat and then cut it into chunks. The size of the pieces you cut do not have to be exact - just bite sized pieces is fine. In a bowl combine the next 9 ingredients along with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and add these to the chicken and mix together very well. Let the chicken mixture marinate on the counter for at least 30 minutes (if you are in a rush) or up to 4 hours.

2. Heat 1/4 cup of olive oil over a high heat for 2 minutes and add the marinated chicken pieces. Stir often and brown on all sides. Cook for a total of 8 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Set aside. Reduce the heat to medium and then add the remaining olive oil.

3. Next, add the potatoes to the seasoned olive oil in the pan and stir. Cover with a lid and cook for 5 minutes. Then, raise the heat to medium high for 2 minutes and add the onions. Stir often for 5 minutes, then reduce the heat again to medium low and cover. Cook for 8 minutes more until the onions are opaque and the potatoes are tender. At this point, you will be steaming the onions and potatoes until they are done. Add the chicken to the pan and warm through for 2 minutes and serve.

This recipe is great hot or cold.